Southampton, NY Fire Regulations: Brush Clearance (2026)

The Town of Southampton's Land Disturbance Ordinance, Article XIIIA of Chapter 330 of the Town Code, added 5-12-2026 by Local Law No. 13-2026, regulates the removal of trees and grade changes exceeding two-foot contours on lots outside the incorporated villages. Under § 330-69.6.A, a Land Disturbance Permit from the Land Management Administrator is required before clearing more than 2,000 square feet, or any amount on undeveloped forested land, on lots of 20,000 square feet or larger. Section 330-69.6.B carves out ten exempt activities that need no prior authorization, and the fifth is aimed squarely at fire safety: the clearing of vegetation within 20 feet of a business or house to provide separation for wildfire safety.

That means residents in Hampton Bays, Water Mill, Flanders, Riverside, Noyack and the Town's other unincorporated hamlets can create a defensible-space buffer around a structure without first filing a permit application, a GIS or field review, or waiting out the 30-day decision period the Administrator otherwise uses under § 330-69.11.C. The exemption sits alongside others for hazardous or dead-tree removal, forestry management by public agencies, and septic-system clearing, all in the same subsection. A property owner who wants written confirmation the clearing qualifies can ask the Land Management Administrator or Chief Building Inspector for an exemption memorandum under § 330-69.11.C(6). Clearing that goes beyond the 20-foot wildfire buffer, however, falls back under the general permit requirement.